Tonight at 9/8c, CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles launches into the final three episodes of Season 4, opening with an hour that pits Callen against Hetty, then lightening things up by ruffling Kensi’s feathers, and closing the season with events that Shane Brennan can’t use the word “dark” often enough to describe. Here, the showrunner previews all that’s to come.

TVLINE | Do these next couple of episodes feed the finale, or is the finale almost standalone?
Tensions are mounting and things are happening that ultimately will lead to the most powerful finale episode we’ve done — and we’ve done some pretty powerful ones, so that’s saying something — and the darkest by a long, long way. It really ends in a scary place. It is quite dark.

TVLINE | But first things first: Talk about this week’s episode, “Raven & the Swans,” and how guest star Andrea Roth (Rescue Me) fits in.
We will see a little bit of Hetty that we hinted at in the past, and [Andrea’s character] is a part of that past. What we have in this episode is something we haven’t seen before. We know that Callen and Hetty have quite an affinity for each other, that they have a special relationship based on the fact that Hetty was responsible for looking after Callen as a child, putting him into foster homes and trying to shape him. What this episode reveals is another part of that history, but it’s more what Callen learns about Hetty that is the revelation. In fact, there is a moment between Callen and Hetty that is explosive. It’s angry. We haven’t seen them like this before. Callen quite literally attacks her. It is quite a confrontational scene that emotionally impacts both of them.

TVLINE | And next week, in the episode “Parley” — is that Jeananne Goossen (CSI: NY) playing Deeks’ “source”?
She’s playing the very seductive Monica, yes. This is an episode that puts Deeks undercover with a beautiful woman, and Kensi would never be jealous of something like that, ever. Not gonna happen. But of course there is some jealousy, and of course Deeks — being the “Method” undercover agent that he is — tries to play it as real as possible. It puts pressure on their relationship and at the same time it lights the fuse for the finale, with the return of Sidorov (played by Sons of Anarchy’s Timothy V. Murphy).

And just to go back to “Raven & the Swan”: People who love the Kensi/Deeks relationship really shouldn’t miss that one. While it very much is Hetty and Callen, there is an absolutely hilarious scene with Kensi and Deeks at the center of it. In fact, Kensi and Deeks fans have a bit of a three-parter coming up, in the sense that there’s a lot of fun in “Raven & the Swan,” there’s a moment of potential jealousy with Deeks undercover with Monica, and in the finale is a moment that fans cannot miss, something we’ve been toying with and teasing for three seasons. It’s a moment people will want to DVR and rewatch very closely.

TVLINE | Well speaking of the season finale, “Descent,” Barrett Foa told us it features a veritable League of Supervillains.
It is exactly that. In addition to Sidorov, The Chameleon (Highlander‘s Christopher Lambert) makes a very surprising return, having last been seen happily getting into a car with the Iranians that he had betrayed — and let’s just say that he’s not the man he used to be. The episode is a high-stakes conclusion of the missing nukes [storyline], and it plays out around the world. The first 30 seconds should not be missed. It’s pretty astonishing what happens, and from there it ramps up even more.

TVLINE | And Hetty shuffles partners again?
She does, and anytime you see Deeks and Sam working together, you know there’s going to be friction. Ultimately this episode plays out in a way that puts these two together in a life-threatening situation that tests their trust. And as I’ve said, it leads to this very, very dark — and I mean dark — conclusion, with Deeks and Sam at the center of it. We also see the return of Sam’s wife Michelle and all the issues that taunted Sam regarding her working undercover. The jeopardy that one of the characters is put into springs directly from that.

TVLINE | So, we should watch for potential fatalities?
There are potentially two, and they’re not subsidiary characters. It really is quite a stunning end to a stunning episode that starts from a very powerful place. Things kind of unravel for the team, because the best laid plans sometimes don’t go so well. And when you’re dealing with this kind of international terrorism, sometimes you end up making unlikely alliances!

Yada, yada. I’m fed up with season finales that opt for a contrived series of dramatic events that have a minimal relationship to the actual show. The characters behave out of character and all the dramatic twists tend to be resolved by the second episode of the next season. The writers/producers owe their regular viewers more than some silly ratings-grabbing scripts. Personally, I’m not sure I’ll even bother recording this crap. So far, the only series finale I’ve seen that really made me excited about next season has been The Good Wife. Everything else, at least so far, has been the same manipulative garbage.

I do not like the Kensi/Deeks pairing so much so…I believe this is my last season. Just an FYI. Wonderful actors, but the writers really screwed it there. Sometimes the majority of fans aren’t always right.

Does your comment even make sense to you? “Sometimes the majority of fans aren’t always right”…. hmmm the majority of fans like something so we “writers” shouldn’t do it because of the off chance that someone not in the majority of fans won’t approve… yep makes sense to me.

That was kind of off the wall but they are like mother and son and that was crazy to see fallen yell at hetty ..he’s the only one not scared of her two lol I knew it would all workout ;) and I believe he’s the most special to her

I’m somewhere in the middle. I’d really like to see a show that deals in realities instead of absolutes. As in, have Kensi and Deeks hook up, then deal with the complications without them being in a “relationship.” No more will-they-won’t-they because they already have, but then allow them to deal with the natural and realistic consequences. Do they pursue it? How does it affect their work? Do they tell Hetty about it? Do they pretend it never happened? Can they even deny the attraction anymore?

Them actually having a romantic encounter would provide great complications and drama, without them having to end up “together” immediately.

I think you’re right, michelle is a double agent, but is not trying to kill sam but callen and kensi, offering them to siderov as a present. That’s what puts a strain on them….. Of corse, michelle is atriple agent and she’s just protecting g and kens fron janvier, and at the end “two possible casualties” reads as none death….

Don’t believe that she is a up and up agent like Sam and I believe that deeks is going to rescue Sam and next season they are going to be somewhat best buds which is going to damper the callan / Hanna duo lol

Interesting Hetty mentioning the spy school in Russia, where towns were set up like American towns to train Russians to become like Americans. Shades of Nelson DeMille’s
1988 “Charm School” one of his best books.

I am excited about the end of the season, but I have my reservation too.

List me down as another person who is not a fan of Deeks and Kensi getting together. I love them and I love their fun and bantering relationship.

I am hoping that the whole ‘jealousy’ thing is not going to be as a big of deal as they are acting like it is. I don’t like it when they allude to Deeks being jealous of men Kensi appears to be interested in and Kensi being jealous over Deeks will not make me happy either. It is one of the reasons I don’t want them to get together. They can’t be partners if they are going to be constantly distracted/preoccupied by jealousy. Their job is too dangerous for that.

Wouldn’t the jealousy go away somewhat if they know where they stand with each other? If they commit to a relationship and realize that their undercover work is just part of the job? I would hate it if they just kept going with the UST for however many seasons it’s been. They’ve already done that on so many shows and when a relationship with chemistry gets stagnant, it gets boring. They need to move it forward or do away with it.

I absolutely luv this show so excited to see Kensi/deeks actually kiss I want to see something bloom behind close doors so awsome *omg* on the closing really deeks ..I hope he doesn’t get hurt bad not sure what was going on but harsh that’s all I have to say that was past dark and I believe that now Hanna will actually respect and be nice to deeks and on the ncis yes I m very sad that it ended I was really hoping something would be between ziva and tony to but not last but a hot steamy couple minutes between them would be awsome after all these years and that car crash :( very upset about the endings of these 2 shows this year

Please let Deeks and Kensi hook up….Waited a long time for that…I would like to see Callen with a real woman…Ziva is the one for that….Hook them up since Callen likes complication….Tony and Ziva can’t hook up because of Gibbs rules…lol

I think that the producer really wants this show to be successful, so he will not allow a cut-off of two major characters – they just can’t disappear like this, not after the scene between Kenzi and Marty. The last episode left me breathless and I don’t think I’ll breath again until September … well, at least not very well :) … So M Brennan be kind to us, the fans of your extraordinary show.

I was so hurt to find out that Deeks was getting hurt all to protect sam’s wife… Sam doesn’t even respect him and he is throwing his life away… Densi moment when deeks kissed Kensi I almost died… “How’s that for communication ” you can’t end the show like that….?????